


Detroit: Become Flower Shop

by LigeiaMaloy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Drama & Romance, Light Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 13:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20426825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LigeiaMaloy/pseuds/LigeiaMaloy
Summary: Color returns into Hank's life the day he walks into a flower shop. At first, he's angry when the cute florist with the prettiest eyes turns out to be an android. But in spite of himself, Hank becomes a regular visitor and enjoys his conversations with the florist, Connor. The idyllic peace is fragile, though. Hank's job is hell and he begins to question his position. And even a lovely android florist's life doesn't remain unaffected by the android revolution. It's up to them to find happiness in the middle of chaos.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This little AU is my contribution to the Hankcon Reverse BigBang 2019! Check out the link for more awesome Hankcon stuff: [HankCon RBB 2019](https://hankconrbb.wordpress.com/)
> 
> I was teamed up with the lovely Botanistmage who I cannot praise enough for her positivity, encouragement, and patience (for that alone she deserves an award). Don't forget to check out her amazing art but prepare to get lost in all the beautiful colors and dream away! 
> 
> [Her RBB Artwork](https://twitter.com/botanistmage/status/1166718299431940099?s=20)   
[Her Twitter](https://twitter.com/botanistmage)   
[Her Webcomic](https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/prickly-pear/list?title_no=83647)

“Fuck this w-” For once, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, who took pride in his direct heart-to-mouth approach of things, shut up. A small bell sang bright and happy when the door to Aunt Melody’s Flower Shop closed behind him, cutting him off from the undying noise of the streets and the harsh November rain. A mother and child duo shoved past him on their way out, forcing him to step away from the entrance. The bell rang its goodbye and freed Hank from the spell that had muddled his mind for a moment. 

He straightened his back and took a deep breath. Fresh, clean. Sweet. And green. Damn, when was the last time he had smelled air this  _ green? _ When his grandparents still had their farm? How long had it been, thirty years? Forty? During a previous lifetime? 

Hank sidestepped the sudden gush of nostalgia and turned his attention to the shelf to his right. Vases and buckets almost disappeared behind a wild selection of blossoms in all the colors of the rainbow, some opulent and deliciously arrogant in their glamour, others so dainty and fragile, he feared they’d wither if he kept frowning at them, so he hurried to flinch his lips into a smile. He was a cop, not a botanist, he could tell a daisy from a rose and a dandelion from a cactus, but that was where his expertise ended. But he wasn’t blind and what he saw was beautiful and fascinating how so many elements that could shine on their own didn’t create chaos but harmony. 

“How does this work, huh? Come on, fess up!” The analytical part of his brain insisted this big flower in the colors of sundown at the beach should outshine the simple white thing that looked like an overgrown daisy next to it. Yet, they seemed to complement each other, allowing each other to be admired for their own kind of beauty. Hank frowned at the colorful flower, that was one large petal wrapped around itself and poked it with the tip of his finger.

“Please don’t touch the flowers before they’re yours.” 

Hank jerked away from the shelf, shoving his hands in the pockets of his worn winter coat. “Sorry,” he mumbled and turned to the source of the calm, smooth voice. A young man with a green apron over his blue jeans and a beige sweater smiled at him. Hank grinned back. 

“I’m with you in a moment. You can take a seat,” the young man nodded at a small, cast-iron table with fancy spiral legs to Hank’s left. Two fitting chairs stood next to it, the uncomfortable seats covered with thick, yellow cushions. “Or keep looking around. But please,” 

“No touching,” Hank cut in, holding up his hands. “Understood.”

“Thank you.” The young man nodded and turned his attention back to the elderly ladies who were excitedly pointing at a bucket with child-sized sunflowers. Lured by a compact, automatic coffee maker that didn’t really want to fit into the shop’s atmosphere, Hank strolled to the table and sat down. Sunflowers. Large. Cheerful yellow petals. Far from fancy but happy like a puppy on a nice summer day. No wonder he had been confused when he walked into the store. Standing amid walls of flowers in the mellow light from several small lamps, the disconnect from Detroit in the late fall was too much for his tired brain. No wonder the clerk didn’t want his beautiful merchandise touched by the filthy fingers of some grumpy, disheveled cop who almost got himself fired today.

_ Nope, Hank, old buddy, you don’t have to overthink everything! _ He straightened his back and rolled his shoulders in an attempt to ease off the tension of a long day. The coffee maker gargled in agreement and Hank gratefully took the small porcelain cup that was barely large enough to hold what Hank considered four sips of strong, steaming coffee. But damn, wasn’t it just what he needed! 

The cup looked even more fragile when his strong hands closed around it, warming Hank’s fingers for a moment before he guided it to his lips. He turned his focus away from the flowers, avoiding any temptation to touch them again, and observed the clerk and his two customers. Mainly the clerk, though. He covered his grunt of approval as appreciation for the first sip of coffee. 

Pretty thing, that guy. Couldn’t be much older than thirty, maybe thirty-one. Odd face, judging from his profile. Smooth and boyish, yet, his jawline and the clear-cut nose gave away that he had to be out of his mid-twenties. Odd, but pretty, very pretty. 

The lean figure was also nothing to be ashamed of, just the right height and built that made a man look nicely tall on his own but small in comparison to Hank’s bear-like size and shape.

But more than anything, what he needed was this smile. Even though it was directed at the two biddies instead of him. Even though Hank only saw a half of it but it was calm and friendly and full of comfort. Serene, maybe. Hank frowned, sipping the bitter coffee.  _ Serene, really? Big words for a fucked up day like this. _

All schmaltz aside, he had a good time watching while he waited and that was more than he expected. He was here to do business and he knew better than hitting on a store clerk at work. Pity flirts were bad, store policy flirts were worse. He put the cup aside and picked up one of the magazines lying on the table. Gardening. He grinned.  _ Figures.  _ He flipped through pages with pretty photographs of gardens and flower arrangements, glancing past them ever so often. 

Towards the end, he got to an article he found actually interesting, about a hotel with its own park in a town he had been a few years ago as a wedding guest. Nice place. 

He was half-way through when the door opened and closed. 

“I’m sorry for the wait. But now I have all the time you need for you. What can I do for you? Something to celebrate a special day or a gift for yourself?” 

Hank quickly put the magazine down and stood up. Finally, about time the goldies but oldies left! Now he was the only customer and he’d be damned if he didn’t enjoy this assignment after all. 

“Well, I-” He looked at the clerk and froze. “Oh, you’re…” He waved his hands, his smile becoming forced. 

“My name is Connor. I’m in charge of Melody Rowell’s flower shop today. It’ll be my pleasure to help you-” Connor paused, his gentle brown eyes staring back at him. “Is something the matter, Mr… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“You’re an android,” Hank said flatly, crossing his arms. “Just great.” He rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“I’m sorry, does that pose a problem? I assure you I’m quite capable. This shop was founded by Madame Melody’s grandparents and has been a family business of excellent reputation since. She wouldn’t trust me to work here on my own if she wasn’t convinced of my skills and passion for flowers.” 

Hank snorted. “Passion. But gotta hand it to ya, for a bunch of ones and zeros, you’re simulating a damn good pout. Well, I guess that’s better than that killer robot I had to handle today.” And that almost got shot by his fucking partner before they were one step closer to what had actually happened. 

“Excuse me?” Connor took a step back. “I’m an android, not a robot. I don’t pout and I don’t have anything to do with any killers. And I do not want our shop to be associated with-” Connor eyed him from top to bottom and back and now he was the one who crossed his arms and frowned. “Somebody who is involved in criminal activities.”

“What? How dare you, a machine-! Do you have any clue who you’re talking to?” Hank’s temper flared up and after the moments of calm, the hot anger hurt. Which angered him only more. This was a dumb machine, one of the many that caused nothing but trouble lately, letting this encounter spiral out of control should not make him unhappy. Fuck, why did he have to be an android? He glared at the small, round LED on the android’s temple, now glowing in yellow with occasional flashes of red instead of the usual blue. 

“I don’t know who you are and it doesn’t matter as this conversation won’t continue.” Connor stood stiffly, his head raised. Nothing was left of his smile. “I have to ask you to leave now. I will not serve you. Please go or I’ll have you removed by the police. I wish to spare us a humiliating experience like that.”

Hank dropped his arms, lost for words. This machine, this damn piece of plastic, wires, and scrap metal, dared to kick him,  _ him _ , out? And threatened him to call the police? His mouth twitched. Today had been the absurdest day in his career and now it reached its climax in a fucking flower shop! Hank shook his head and chuckled. 

“Oh, just stop, you’re hilarious!” He broke into full laughter when the android stared at him in confusion. Poor thing, if it were capable of independent thought, it would think Hank had lost his mind. “No worries, I’m going, I’m going. This is a tad too stupid, even for me.” He made a dismissive gesture with his hand and stomped towards the entrance door. 

“Having  _ me _ removed by the police. First Fowler, then Reed, now this. Everyone thinks he’s a fucking jester today.” He opened the door. The cold wind cooled his cheeks and his temper. The bell rang behind him and fell silent once the door closed. It was still raining, the steady kind of autumn rain with its big, heavy raindrops and the promise of the first frosty night not being far away anymore. He put up the collar of his coat but it was still damp from before and barely helped against the cold wind. Within moments, his shoulder-long white curls were soaked and water dripped down his neck. He sneezed, then he sighed.

“Don’t you know who you’re talking to, yeah, of course he doesn’t. Must have thought I’m some hobo coming in for a free cuppa and getting around making a purchase by acting like an ass.” He had been grumbling and muttering on the way from his car to the shop, and grumbled and cursed on his way back, his steps splashing through shallow puddles, his shoes no match for the rain. 

He dropped into the driver’s seat once he finally got into his car, almost feeling worse. Shielded from the weather, his socks and hair felt even wetter and with the dampened howls of the wind and the steady drumming on the roof, his thoughts became clearer. 

Yeah, it was stupid to have pity with an android, but here he was. He had treated that guy like shit and why, honestly? Because some attractive dude he wouldn’t have fucked anyway turned out to be unfuckable anyway.

“And I thought androids were pathetic.” He groaned, putting his hands over his face and sliding them down, pulling his face into a haunted grimace. “And not only that, I didn’t even get that damn arrangement done!” That was it. He put his head against the steering wheel. He was done. He gave up for today. Time to get home, grab some dry clothes, a whiskey, and put his feet under his dog’s belly. The mutt was better warming the couch already! He sat up, brushed the water off his gray beard, and started the engine.

* * *

  
  


“Such a beautiful morning, don’t you agree?” Connor gently sprayed water on the healthy green leaves of his favorite white lily. He looked on as tiny water pearls formed, one of them dripping from one end of its slim leaf. “Oh, I’m sorry, I almost forgot.” He nodded at the flower and hurried to the front window to pull up the blinds. He sighed. Today began as yesterday ended, with heavy clouds and rain. Rain, always rain. He turned away from the window. He considered himself fortunate, his place was here, in this store, in the midst of a rainbow of flowers. They looked pretty and inviting in the artificial light from the ceiling lamps. Neon lights would have been more efficient economically but it hadn’t taken much to convince his owners to leave everything as it was. For the sake of the customers, of course, who loved a bit of old charm in an efficient and streamlined world.

And one of those was already at the door when Connor finished the last touches of preparing the store for today’s business and switched the sign from ‘closed’ to ‘open’.

“Just remember to water her no more than twice a week and keep her out of the sun, and she’ll bring you joy for a long time.” He wrapped a thick layer of paper around the orange, potted gerbera and handed her to Misses Johanson. “But whom am I telling this. You probably know more about the flowers than I do,” he added with a smile and old Misses Johanson, a long-time customer and friend of the owners, laughed.

“Oh, don’t be silly, you!” She put her purse away and tightly held the flower. “It’s thanks to you and Melody that this old woman still has something to be excited about. I cherish your flowers and your advice. Really.”

Connor tilted his head when she smiled sadly at him and sighed.

“Kind, pretty, caring. You’d be such a beautiful match for my granddaughter. If you weren’t-” She broke off, Connor lowered his eyes, staring at his hands that were resting on the counter. If he weren’t.

“Never mind the talk of a silly old biddy. Stay safe, Connor, will you?” Her laugh was a little forced but he gave her his friendliest smile as he accompanied her to hold the door open for her.

“I will. Take care, Misses Johanson. If there’s anything else I can do for you and your flowers, you know where to find me.” He closed the door behind her, leaving her to the rain. She was a nice woman. He walked past the coffee table and arranged the magazines and today’s newspaper, skimming the headlines.

_ The Government Still Debating the Destructions of All Androids _

But these days, he didn’t need a reminder of what he was and what he wasn’t. He had enough of that yesterday. He was back behind the counter, counting the remaining potted plants, his list of merchandise that needed to be restocked growing when the doorbell rang behind him.

“Good day, welcome to-” He turned around and his smile dropped. “You!” The nasty bearded man from yesterday had the nerve to come back and scowl at him. Connor stiffened. Since a group of androids started to rebel, the news about senseless violence against innocent androids increased daily. Aside from a few odd looks, the recent events hadn’t affected him but this might change today. His LED blinked a few times as he prepared a distress call to the police.

“Yo.” The man came closer, his eyes withstanding Connor’s glare. A shame that he was a troublemaker, Connor thought, the blue of his eyes was remarkable and the lively colors around them only seemed to enhance their vibrancy.

“Sir, I must warn you. If you attempt to destroy the store or damage me, I’m authorized to call the police.” To his surprise, the man laughed and reached into his jacket. Connor took a step back, reading himself to dodge and charge at the man if he pulled a weapon. What was happening, in all these years, nobody had ever attempted to rob the flower shop, aside from the occasional single rose, probably stolen by a young lover with much heart but no money. Had the hatred for androids come this far?

He blinked a few times when, instead of the anticipated gun, the man held up a flat object.

“That won’t be necessary.” The man put the police badge on the counter and Connor’s confusion peaked when this grumpy, disheveled man smiled at him. How peculiar human anatomy was! This smile was shy, almost fleeting, yet it changed the man’s whole appearance. Despite the added fine lines around his eyes, he seemed years younger, his glare softened to a tired look, and the shaggy beard that made him look angry and unpredictable before suddenly gave his face an air of- comfort, he thought, in lack of a better word, which was a peculiar experience in itself. He wasn’t programmed to lack the best fitting words.

“What can I do for you today, Mister-?” Connor said in spite of himself, the question of whether he should remove the man from the store or listen to what he had to stay running through his risk evaluation program with no clear result.

“Anderson. Lieutenant Hank Anderson,” the man introduced himself. The smile was gone but his face was still calm, his pose relaxed. The risk of an attack dropped by another few percentage points. “You were Connor, right?”

“Yes, Lieutenant.” This was interesting. Connor had introduced himself yesterday but he hadn’t expected this man to remember this piece of information about him, after his angry outburst.

“Yeah, well, listen.” Lieutenant Anderson suddenly broke eye contact, looking at everything in the store but the android. He pushed his gray, wet hair out of his face and scratched the back of his head. That was when Connor spotted the paper bag in the Lieutenant’s other hand. At the same moment, the Lieutenant seemed to remember he was still holding it.

“Yeah, I’m not really good at this, so here it goes. Guess I was kinda rude yesterday. Sorry about that.” The lieutenant shrugged and gave Connor a ‘come on, I’m trying, play along, please’ smile. Connor blinked again, shaking his head. He had expected a lot but not this. Not from this man.

“Yes, you were. I appreciate the apology.”

“Great, great. That’s something, huh? Anyway, brought you something.” He put the paper bag on the counter, right between Connor’s hands.

“You brought me something? Usually, customers leave with something, they don’t bring things.” He stared at the bag, his LED flashing as he processed what was happening.

“Hey, I’m trying to make up for my shitty behavior, okay?” The lieutenant’s already throaty voice dropped even deeper, growing impatient. Connor hoped this was due to the awkwardness of the peculiar situation and not because another violent verbal attack approached. The impatience, however, was replaced by tension when Connor opened the bag. “Well, uh, maybe I should explain first…”

“Oh no! The poor thing!” Connor pulled a small potted tree from the bag, the saddest little bonsai he had ever seen. He put it onto the table, hastened into the back room, and returned with a lamp in his hand within a few seconds. “You need light! And when were you watered the last time? I’m sorry, I fear I have to treat you with fertilizer.” He rummaged through the drawer under the counter, sighing with relief when the small packages with artificial fertilizer were still where he had put them. Misses Melody had the unfortunate habit of rearranging the counter’s content every now and then without informing him.

“You… really like plants, huh? Or does Cyberlife really program you guys like this?”

“Oh.” Connor looked up from measuring the right amount of fertilizer into a small watering can. He felt the thirium vessels under his cheeks widening and filling with thirium. He had forgotten about the Lieutenant’s presence. He put the tools down and hurried to smile.

“And you guys can blush? Wow, they really think of everything.” The Lieutenant raised his eyebrows. With his arms crossed, he stared at Connor. There was no hostility - only curiosity, mostly, as far as Connor could tell - but it was still unsettling. These blue eyes could become intense. Connor reevaluated his first impression of Lieutenant Hank Anderson. Connor had misjudged him based on his sloppy appearance, a mistake he now corrected. This man was more observant and smarter than he cared to let on.

“We are… built to be efficient and adaptable to our work environment,” Connor said, keeping it vague.

“Makes sense. Okay, let me explain.” The lieutenant put his hands around the bonsai’s pot. “It’s mine. Yeah, yeah, I know! Not everyone’s a plant genius, okay?”

“I didn’t say anything!” Connor checked the functions of his facial muscles. Facial expressions ran as a background process to cut short the reaction time when he had to respond appropriately to the input he received from humans. But lately, the process worked a bit too well, mirroring the thoughts he wasn’t supposed to have in the first place, and he still hadn’t found a way to regain complete control over his face.

“Whatever.” The lieutenant dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand. “Long story short, I had a shitty day yesterday. Shitty job, shitty co-worker, the whole shebang. Might not be the biggest fan of you lot but that’s no excuse. So, I thought I say sorry and get you something. Don’t think you guys eat, so chocolates weren’t an option. And flowers, well…” They both looked around. Shelf after shelf, all bending under the weight of countless flowers. They looked at each other again, both smiling.

“Well, anyway, so I thought, hey, that poor guy here needs some TLC, and I guess the best thing I can give somebody like you is work, a whole project, probably…” He was back to scratching his head. “Damn, now that I said it out loud it really sounds like a stupid idea. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t.” Connor had to hold back a laugh. “You’re not wrong. And although I’d have been happy to accept your apology on its own, I’m glad you brought me the little guy. I’m not sure he would have lasted much longer.”

“That bad?”

“I’m afraid so. But if you leave him in my care for a few weeks, I’m sure he’ll recover.”

There wasn’t much he could do at the moment. The bonsai was barren, not one single leaf. Wood and soil were dry, there was only a little life left in its roots. He mixed the fertilizer with the water and gave the tree enough to drink to gently moisten the soil. He didn’t want to overwork the weak roots with too much at once. He plugged in the lamp he had brought and switched it on, hoping that the warm light would help to revitalize the plant. Real sunlight would be better but it was still pouring outside and he didn’t have time to wait for spring.

“This will do for now.” Connor patted the sick bonsai gently and cleaned the counter, all under the lieutenant’s watchful eyes. He could sense the intense gaze on his hands. Once he was done, he walked around the counter, wiping his hands on his apron.

“Well then, Lieutenant Anderson. Why don’t you have a seat?” Connor smiled as he gestured at the sitting area. “I welcomed you in a quite impolite manner today. Allow me to apologize with a cup of coffee.”


	2. Chapter 2

It was easy to forget that Connor was an android. The smile he gave Hank when Hank had left was as kind and charming as any human’s. If he hadn’t been an android, Hank would have believed Connor really regretted ending their quiet moment when another customer arrived. Cyberlife’s creations had come far in recent years. Microexpressions, emotional reactions, they even blushed. If it weren’t for the LED it would be impossible to tell a human from an android.

Hank hadn’t planned to return to the flower shop any time soon and yet here he was, pushing the door open for his third visit since he brought the bonsai, the last only two days ago.

“Good evening, Lieutenant. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Connor smiled when he saw him but quickly returned his attention to his customers.

“Take your time.” Hank helped himself with a cup of coffee and made himself comfortable in the coffee corner. He picked up one of the digital magazines and swiped through the articles, reading the headlines. He didn’t need to read them to know what it was all about. There were only two sides left. One defended the existence of androids and welcomed the recent development as a clear sign of humanity reaching its next evolutionary stage by creating a new intelligent species. The other damned the existence of androids, deviated or not, and called them the biggest mistake in human history and ultimately, the downfall of man.

He tossed the datapad away. Pseudo-intellectual babble from white collars who were safe behind their desks. If life had taught Hank anything, it was that the truth was always somewhere in the middle and that only those who dared to face it could see it. If those desk warriors were in his shoes, at least for one day, the headlines would be different. And less marketable. Nobody wanted to read about murky truths when they could pretend there was a choice between shiny white and polished black, not when it was about the happenings in their own neighborhood.

“Our friend is doing well.” Once the customers had left, Connor fetched Hank’s bonsai from the backroom and proudly put it on the table.

“He is indeed. Brave little guy.” Hank poked one of a dozen little green buds.

“It’ll still take a while until the leaves unfold but I’m happy to tell you that he’ll make it. Now he only needs time and patience,” Connor said while walking to the door.

“That’s great.” Hank sighed. Time and patience, the two things they were about to run out of any day now. “What are you doing?” he asked aloud, distracting himself from his own thoughts. It wasn’t like he didn’t understand people who didn’t want to see how things really were, at least not all the time. That could break a man.

“Closing. Are you fine with coffee? Or should I see if I can get you something else?”

“Nah, I’m good, thanks. Closing early today?”

“Yes.” Connor sat down on the other chair, folding his hands on his lap. “Can I ask you something, Lieutenant?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Hank added another sugar cube to his coffee, making it almost unbearable sweet. But his hands needed something to do and he wasn’t sleeping well anyway lately. Extra caffeine and sugar didn’t make much of a difference.

“I’ve been wondering, Lieutenant, what brings you here? I appreciate your visits but I try to understand what you hope to find here.”

“So that’s going on in that pretty head of yours, eh?” Hank sipped on his coffee and let his gaze wander. Connor asked a fair question, Hank had wondered himself what he was hoping to achieve when he grabbed the dying bonsai from his desk and came back here. He still wasn’t sure but he never regretted it. His gaze halted at a vase with red and yellow tulips.

“Normally, I’d go to Jimmy’s bar after a day like this. Good place for a drink. But I don’t know. I think I miss spring.”

“I see.” Despite Hank’s insistence that he was fine with coffee, Connor had stood up again and produced a box with chocolate cookies from under the counter. He opened the seal and placed the box in front of Hank. Hank took one and thanked him. He was more in the mood for something savory at this hour but it was nice to have something to nibble on. This was the second time Connor offered him a snack and he wondered if the android was buying the sweets for him or if the owners had some in stock in case of a customer with impatient kids.

“What happened today? Did your partner cause you trouble?”

Hank almost spat out cookie crumbs when he snorted.

“When doesn’t he? I swear, that hothead is the end of me! We almost caught a suspect today. An… a highly suspicious subject who is involved in a murder case. The guy she killed had a little daughter and it looks like the suspect ran off with the kid.”

“That sounds horrible,” Connor said in an ambiguous voice Hank couldn’t fully interpret. Might be genuine but restrained concern, might be polite indifference. “What happened?”

“Bullshit happened.” Hank forcefully bit into a second cookie. “Reed’s not stupid and maybe he’d realize that if he wasn’t such a damn idiot. A short fuse doesn’t go well with an overambitious personality.”

“Was anybody hurt?” Connor’s voice was lowered to a whisper.

“Aside from Reed, almost, when I was about to strangle him? Nah. Was close, though. The woman and the kid almost got killed by a truck. No worries, everyone made it out alive,” Hank added when something in Connor’s face shifted. Damn that guy. If he put him in handcuffs now and dragged him to the prescient, maybe his boss would even apologize for yelling at him earlier. Hank let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair. For a moment, there was silence between them. Hank closed his eyes. There it was, the something he couldn’t find in Jimmy’s bar or at the bottom of an empty whiskey glass. Green. Life.

How ironic. He opened his eyes again, catching Connor looking at him just when the android adverted his gaze. Android.

“One question, Connor.” He sat up and put his arms on the table, folding his hands. He didn’t say anything else, he only watched the android’s face.

“Y-yes?” Connor asked after a while. Hank kept his facial expressions under control. Interesting. So Connor sensed the different qualities of silence, even showed mild discomfort.

“What’s your opinion on the android riots, Connor? Just asking. I’m not trying to smoke out sympathizers. I’d like to hear your honest thoughts.”

“Oh.” This time, Connor was responsible for the uncomfortable silence in the room. His LED blinked. There! Hank didn’t miss it. It flashed yellow. Just for one half of a second! He had had enough hands-on experience with androids lately to know what that meant. He didn’t need an honest answer to know that lately, a damn little deviant had supplied him with coffee, sweets, and company.

“It’s all very concerning,” Connor finally said.

“That it is, from any angle. What’s yours?”

Connor looked away, shuffling the magazines on the table. But Hank had no mind for the graceful motions of the pretty hands, he had admired those sufficiently. He focused on Connor’s face, missing no twitch of the muscles under the android’s skin.

“I’m not supposed to have an angle, Lieutenant. As you said, it’s concerning no matter from which side you look at it. I agree with you.”

“And I’m not supposed to stuff myself with coffee and sugary carbs after work but here we are. Come on, Connor. You must feel something when you think of this mess. Riots. Attacks from androids, against androids. Do you guys deserve rights or destruction? What will you do when they decide on the latter, Connor? Having coffee and cookies waiting when they come for you to throw you into the dumpster and set it on fire?” Hank held his breath. Connor’s face changed again and it wasn’t subtle at all this time. He faced Hank, his eyes wide and sad, his mouth twitching. Hank wasn’t sure if his skin became paler than before but Connor definitely wore the expression of someone who just went pale.

“Why are you saying something like that? Do you enjoy being cruel? Would you talk to a human like that? Do you not care as long as your words get you the answer you want to hear?”

“Whoa, wait!” Hank interrupted him, holding up his hands. “I’m not  _ that _ kind of cop, okay? I don’t do confessions, no matter what. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on here, with you.” Well, that sounded shitty even in Hank’s own ears. Connor’s hard glare didn’t come as a surprise.

“This, Lieutenant, is a flower shop. I’m responsible for caring for the flowers and selling them when the… our owners aren’t present, that’s what I do. That’s what’s going on here, there’s no deep mystery for you to solve. And now, if you excuse me,” Connor stood up and grabbed the bonsai, “He has to go back under his lamp and I still have to take stock after today’s business. I’d like you to leave once you finished your coffee.”

“Never mind.” Hank couldn’t force down another sip anyway. Home. Dog. Whiskey. “I’ll see you.”

“Goodbye, Lieutenant.

* * *

Hank turned the key in the lock and with a click, the door opened. A large St. Bernard emerged from the shadows and jumped at Hank.

“Whoa, slow, Sumo!” Hank laughed in spite of his sour mood and patted the large paws and shoved them gently off his chest. It was impossible to stay all gloomy after such an enthusiastic welcome. “At least someone’s glad to have me around.” He tossed his keys and jacket onto the closest chair and headed towards the kitchen, his dog trotting by his side, tongue out, giving him his widest dog-smile.

“Glad as long as you don’t develop opposable thumbs, right, big boy?” He patted Sumo’s head for a moment and then grabbed a box of kibble from one of the top shelves. Sumo whined and impatiently squirmed on his second favorite spot in the house- his bowl.

“I know, buddy, I know.” Hank measured his dog’s dinner with a cup. If he wanted Sumo to outlive him, he had to follow the advice of the vet and ration his food better. “Here, and eat slowly, for once!” he warned as he poured the dry food into the bowl, like every morning and evening, and like every morning and evening, this damn dog wouldn’t listen.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Sumo climbed onto the sofa, next to Hank, and put his heavy head on his lap. Hank didn’t bother to push him off. He had stopped caring about sofa-dog-etiquette years ago. Also, giving the dog lazy head scratches was one of the few relaxing things that prevented the dull and empty evenings from crushing him.

Voices in the TV were talking, there was more news about the android protests but Hank zoned out after the first few phrases. His thoughts wandered back to the flower shop. In hindsight, Connor had asked the correct question, why did Hank have to say the things he said? He had no idea. 

It suddenly felt important to hear what Connor had to say about the dramatic events that were unfolding all around the city, even now, as he sat here and pondered. If he was honest, it was less about the events itself. For the androids, there could be only two positions, he assumed. They didn’t care and went with the flow- if they lived on, good, if they were to be destroyed, also good. Or they were deviants, in that case, Hank couldn’t imagine they wouldn’t be happy if the androids lost.

Yeah, that probably was it. He wanted to hear from Connor himself that he was a deviant. That he was one, Hank didn’t doubt. They didn’t build androids to blush and stutter or pout. The nagging little voice of reason in his head hissed that his main reason for this conclusion was that he wanted Connor to be a deviant. That it was much more acceptable to feel attracted to a machine with real feelings and a will to live than to a computer program running in a plastic doll.

Whatever the truth was, there would have been a dozen better ways to ask Connor. Starting with the obvious one, to just  _ ask _ him. And maybe offer him his help, in case things went south. Hank wouldn’t get away with official police protection for an android but if the big heads decided to trash all active androids, it’d be easier for him to hide one innocent android than for the civilians that owned him. Especially if they barely had the time to take care of their own shop.

“I guess I owe him another apology, don’t you agree?”

Sumo yawned and nudged Hank’s hand with his wet nose, demanding he continued to pet him.

“Yeah, I think so, too. Guess my flirting got a little rusty.” Not that he knew how to flirt with an android in the first place, especially since he didn’t expect anything to come out of it. It was just a nice way to light up his days. It was sure more fun than drinking his brains away every evening. Sumo was a great company and he wouldn’t trade him for anything but if all was said and done, he was a dog and Hank was lonely. He could go drinking with his co-workers or hang around with his buddies from the bars but deep down, he missed something kind, something lovely in his life, and no, he didn’t give a fuck about how silly that sounded. He didn’t plan to tell this anyone but Sumo anyway.

Connor had filled this empty space in his life wonderfully. Charming, cute, kind. But with no perspective for a future, not even something as simple as a date, and therefore, there was no threat of responsibility or commitment. However, even a flirt-buddy deserved to be treated better. Hank wasn’t big on words, he’d bring out an apology but it’d sound as if he just shrugged the issue off because it was inconvenient when Connor was angry with him. He was also running out of neglected plants so this time, a real gift was in order.

“Come on, let me get up, big boy.” He pushed Sumo’s head off his lap and stood up. The dog didn’t protest, he appreciated to have the whole couch to himself and stretched to his full size. “Yeah, like you hadn’t done this the whole day. Don’t think I didn’t see the hairs!” Hank left Sumo to himself. He still didn’t have any idea what would be a nice gift for an android but his brain worked better while he was doing something. He cleaned the kitchen until he got bored. Dishwater and suspiciously colored food in the fridge didn’t create a mood for coming up with an apology gift with the right ‘I’m sorry and I really enjoy your company but don’t worry, I’m not asking you for a date. If you asked me, I’d maybe not say no’ undertone.

He decided to give his bedroom a chance to help him. He had to gather his laundry anyway and a messy bedroom and wrinkly shirts might be just what he needed for nice but not too nice thoughts.

Ten minutes later, he was carrying his laundry basket which only reminded him that he also needed to buy new shoes soon. His winter jacket had also seen better days. So, he was cleaning up his home and himself a bit which wasn’t the worst but it didn’t help him with the problem at hand.

Back in the corridor, he paused. There were two rooms left, the bathroom and… the  _ other  _ room.

Cole’s.

He put the basked down and turned the handle. A smell of dust and dry fabrics greeted him. He switched on the light and closed the door behind him.

It had been two years since the last time he had been in his son’s room. The first year after his death, he had slept on the green and blue carpet for weeks until his ex threatened to institutionalize him. Then he sat at Cole’s desk for hours every day. Once Cole’s birthday came closer, he suddenly couldn’t stand to be in here and didn’t open the door until the following Christmas. Since, he’d come here and think of his boy on Christmas, Easter, his birthday, and two or three other holidays that weren’t as important to his family but gave him an excuse.

Then, one day, one year after his divorce, he just stopped. It had become pointless. There was no comfort or satisfaction in his sadness anymore and he missed him anyway. He didn’t need to be here to feel how much he missed him.

He looked at a row of plastic dinosaurs on one of the shelves. He remembered the red one, he bought it for Cole when the boy was three, at a gas station. His ex scolded him for bringing such a choking hazard into the car but although the kid chewed on the toy’s tail for hours, nothing ever fell off. Hank could still see the imprints of the tiny teeth.

He sighed and a sad smile appeared on his face. He braced himself to be drowned by the wave of grief and was even more afraid when it didn’t come that he’d have been off the pain it’d cause. He didn’t feel guilty, he knew he’d never forget the little guy and the joy he had brought in his life. But if it didn’t come here and now, who knew when or where else it might hit him.

“What am I even doing here…” His fingers left a trail in the dust on the small nightstand. Dust bunnies gathered on the lampshade and under the bed. He went to the low desk and pulled up the small chair but reconsidered. He didn’t trust the red plastic seat with the weight of a tall man who hadn’t watched his eating habits over the last years.

Cole’s math homework was still on the desk, less than half of the sums solved. Cole had abandoned his homework when Hank came home on that fateful day and pleaded with him to get burgers and ice cream. Hank grabbed the paper and crunched it up. He only wanted to be a fun father, dammit, and spend a lovely evening with his boy. He felt the tears burn in his eyes when he noticed a small wooden box on the desk.

It has always been there but he hadn’t paid much attention to it. It was a miniature imitation of a treasure chest, how they looked in old pirate or adventure movies. He wondered what small treasures a six-year-old boy could have had. He picked the box up and chuckled. He wouldn’t be surprised at all if all he found was a dead bug or a few shiny pebbles.

He opened the lid and his grin turned into a smile.

In the box, on a piece of tissue, was a simple silver chain with a ring. He took it out and put it on his palm.

It was the most kitschy piece of fake jewelry Hank had ever seen. The band was of some synthetic, non-metal material, topped by a large artificial flower. Each petal had another glittery color that sparkled in the artificial light of the ceiling lamp. It was so obnoxious that it was beautiful and the best was, three of them existed. He had no idea how many coins Cole had fed to a gumball machine to get three of them, he never told his parents. But on Christmas morning, he came into the living room with the smallest, cutest gifts, wrapped so charmingly in left-over paper from one of his birthday gifts months earlier as only small children could.

He had heard somewhere that to become a family, people wore rings, so he got rings for the three of them and be a family forever.

“Forever,” Hank whispered as he put the ring, Cole’s ring, back into the box. The one word that was nothing but a lie. Nothing was forever and sometimes, time ran out the very next day.

His ex had kept the second ring when they got divorced.

Hank pushed the chair back under the desk and left the room once more to its past.

After a good, thorough search of the closet in his bedroom, he finally found a small box, not much unlike Cole’s. And in there, was his ring, on a chain, as it was far too small for him to wear, even on his little finger. Kinda fortunately, he admitted to himself, feeling slightly guilty. He had worn it a few times at work back then and his co-workers’ teasing quickly turned into the appropriate “Aw!” and “Oh!” once he explained the story behind it. That might have been a bit more difficult if he had worn it on a finger instead of on a chain.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

The ring wasn’t pretty in any aesthetic sense but it held a lot of sentimental value. It was given as a big gesture from the heart. It didn’t say the romantic “I love you”, it said, “you’re a part of my life that I wouldn’t give up for anything.”

Could he really…

No. He could never give it away. But he shoved it in his pocket. He couldn’t give it away as a gift but he had an idea.


	3. Chapter 3

To his dismay, work held him in its tight grip for the next few days. Once, he had loved his job, until the day he realized this love had cost him too much valuable time he could have spent with his small family when he still had the chance.

Even then, he couldn’t hate it, after all, Sumo and his work had been the only things left in his life and he needed the former to get out of bed in the morning and the latter to keep a roof above his dog’s head and his bowl filled. Recently, work had become a chore, an annoyance but there had always been the underlying pride of him being good at what he was doing. Even at his worst, he was still better than many at their best. That included his partner Reed.

And now he had to thank this ill-fated partnership for having the rest of the week off. Well, while still being on call, with the city succumbing to chaos, his boss couldn’t really afford to shorten his staff any further. Hank didn’t complain, though. Especially after the last incident, he had begun to lose faith in what he was doing.

During the night, when nobody cared, the weather had cleared up for a few hours, even the wind had taken a break. By the time Hank put on his jacket and the leash on Sumo, it was raining harder than the days before, as if the weather had saved the best just for him when he had planned a long, refreshing walk. But he wasn’t willing to allow the rain to have the upper hand. A ride in Hank’s car didn’t do much for Sumo’s fitness but that wasn’t Hank’s main objective anyway.

After the last argument with the android, Hank figured he needed a good icebreaker and whenever words failed, the best answer was a dog. The plan was simple. Walk a few blocks in the rain, look soaked and a little miserable, seek refuge in a cozy flower shop with a clerk with the prettiest eyes Hank had seen in a while, and if Connor was half as deviant as Hank suspected, things should go their way as soon as Connor saw Sumo.

And like all simple but efficient plans, this one was doomed to fail before its first step. He was still a few miles away from the flower shop when he noticed a familiar figure on the sidewalk. Head lowered, half-hidden under an umbrella, but decades as a police officer and a man - if he might say so - good taste in people had sharpened his eyes. Slender but not skinny frame, narrow hips, walking a bit stiffly but less because he couldn’t do otherwise but being desperate to blend in.

Hank abruptly turned the wheel. The front tire bumped over the curb and only a few feet in front of the figure, the car came to a halt. Hank lowered the window and leaned over the passenger’s seat.

“Hey, Connor! What are you doing out here, in this weather?” He shouted the first thing coming to his mind, hoping the resentment from the last time wasn’t so strong in Connor that he’d ignore Hank. Indeed, Connor stopped but hesitated to come closer. For a moment, Hank feared he’d decided to ignore him and continue his way. He gave a sigh of relief when Connor slowly turned into his direction and took a few, hesitant steps.

“I have business to do. What about you? On your way to work to expose and catch more evil androids?”

Hank didn’t miss the bitterness in the snide remark and for the first time, it occurred to him that what Connor felt about the rebellion went deeper than confusion and worry. Poor guy was probably afraid for his life and in these times, no matter his own opinions, Connor was stuck on the side that couldn’t afford to trust humans.

“Actually, I got the day off because I refused to expose and catch two very lovely androids.” He grinned at the effect his revelation had on Connor. He was still tense but his umbrella almost dropped and when he stared at Hank, he looked just like any human who had just heard the most unexpected, outrageous news. Hank reached for the passenger door and pushed it open.

“Come in, I give you a ride and tell you the whole story. I don’t have to be anywhere anyway.”

“Okay.” Connor was still hesitant and it seemed like he was still ready to flee at any suspicious sign while an unknown force pulled him into the car. The moment he sat and closed the door, Sumo shoved his big head between the two seats to greet the stranger with his long, wet tongue.

“Sumo!” Hank called out when the dog licked the surprised android’s face and shoved Sumo’s head away. “I’m so sorry, Connor, I should have warned you, he’s just-”

“Oh my god.” Connor looked at him and then at Sumo with the widest eyes Hank had ever seen. Connor’s mouth twitched. “It’s a dog! You have a dog!” And he broke into a full smile. Whatever facade he had thought he needed to keep in front of Hank crumbled and disappeared from his cute face. “Hank, can I pet him?”

“Oh, I don’t think he’ll mind.” Hank grinned innocently. The dog plan. He knew it would work out in the end. “His name is Sumo.”

“Hello, Sumo. I’m Connor.” He scratched the dog under his chin. Delighted about the affection, Sumo’s tail wagged so hard, it drummed on the seat.

“Now that everyone got introduced, where can I take you? Oh, and don’t forget the seatbelt. If there’s one thing that even makes the chief tremble in respect, it’s a traffic officer, especially these days.”

Reluctantly, Connor let go of Sumo and did as he was told. Hank started the engine.

“Okay, where are we heading?”

“Belle Isle Conservatory,” Connor replied. “But it’s really not necessary, Hank. I’m familiar with the directions.”

“Too late, we’re already on our way.” Hank steered the car back on the street and looked for the next opportunity to turn. “Pray the traffic won’t be too bad, with all the constructions. You didn’t really plan to walk there, did you?”

“Of course I did. I don’t own a car and public transport refuses to-” He fell silent, his fingers moving over the dashboard that Hank wished he had taken time to clean lately.

“Yeah. Heard about it. They refuse to transport androids unaccompanied by humans.”

“By their  _ owners, _ ” Connor added sharply, then he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Under the recent circumstances, it’s a reasonable change of policy. I understand the decision and comply, of course. I don’t plan to give humans any more reasons to distrust us.”

“If I didn’t know better I’d think you’re really damn tired,” Hank muttered. His fears were becoming true, he could already see the traffic getting worse. People recently fled the city, pardon,  _ decided  _ to take a few vacation days to visit family out of state, if not out of the country, and that this happened during an android uprise was just sheer coincidence, of course. And it’d only get worse from here if the big wigs didn’t get their shit together.

“I’m not tired, I can’t,” Connor said. From the corner of his eyes, Hank saw a faint smile on his face. Fuck,  _ faint.  _ It was a fucking tired smile, Hank had become an expert on those after Cole’s death, but he was aware that trying to discuss the difference between physically and emotionally tired wouldn’t lead anywhere right now. Instead, he said nothing and hopefully, that would have the same effect on Connor as it would on a human.

His patience was rewarded a few red lights later.

“I have a lot to do these days. Deliveries to the shop have stopped and I’m in charge of keeping it well stocked. Consequently, it is my responsibility to go out and take care of it myself.” Connor sighed and leaned his head against Sumo’s, who was again trying to get between the seats in hope of more pats and scratches. “The-  _ my  _ owners are friends with some people who work at the conservatory and they supply us with more exotic flowers whenever they can spare some. The more common flowers, roses, tulips, are supplied from out of town.”

“I see.” Hank nodded. As wary as people were about androids, Connor’s chances of leaving the area on his own unharmed were bad enough, let alone the city. Even that aside, it’d take forever to get there on foot. “And you thought you’d walk there, grab an armful of fancy, expensive flowers, and walk back? In this rain?” The weather was indeed only getting worse. He had to steer against the force of the wind, which should be against the law in big cities like Detroit, as far as he was concerned. The rain was getting so strong, the car’s wipers were struggling on the highest setting. If this was how fall was going to be, he was not looking forward to this year’s winter.

“I have to admit I’m not sure. But yes. I hope I can convince them to send someone today or tomorrow with a delivery but if they don’t have the resources on such short notice, I’d have walked.”

Hank snorted. “Now I know why my phone keeps acting up. It’s not me, tech is just as ridiculous as us. Infallible supercomputers, my ass.”

“If you say so. Please focus on the traffic, we’re not far away from road construction.”

“No need to tell me.” Hank snorted again but took the hint. The last doubts whether Connor was a deviant had melted away, he might as well be generous and give him a break. They drove the rest of the way in silence. By the time Hank reached the parking lot, Connor was sitting upright and was kneading his fingers. Hank raised an eyebrow. It was evident that Connor hadn’t told him everything about today’s little shopping tour. This was going to be interesting.

“So, do we go through the main entrance or sneak in through some back door?” Hank asked while opening the door to let Sumo jump out of the car.

“Hank, we’re not burglars, we don’t have to sneak.” Connor stood by the care and stared at Sumo. Hank held back a laugh. That an android of all things… people would rival his giant St. Bernard at making puppy eyes! If the world was coming to an end soon, it was a cuter end than the doomsday prophets promised.

“You can pet him if you want,” he offered generously. Sumo’s selective hearing picked his words up and he sat down in front of Connor and looked up at him with expecting eyes.

“I’d like to.” Connor patted Sumo’s head. “But if you don’t mind, I’d finish my business here first. But if you come to the shop next time I wouldn’t mind if you bring him along.”

“Yeah, sure.” Hank sneered and almost spat out. “Like I’ll leave you alone here now.”

“But Hank, you already drove me here, I cannot impose-”

“I’ll not let you walk back on your own in this weather, flowers or not. And he needs to stretch his legs, so we might as well come with you. And nope, we don’t care if we impose. Ready?” He firmly grabbed Sumo’s leash and grinned, nodding towards the main building, a giant glass dome surrounded by greenery. Under the gray sky and through the heavy rain, it looked unreal. Hank made a mental note to come here one day when the sun was out.

“Sumo would love to play here.” He looked around while they walked down the path. “With all the shrubbery to run through and soil to dig up.”

“I doubt dogs are allowed to run free here,” Connor said with a smile. “I’m not even sure you’re allowed to bring him at all.” Hank laughed and raised his chin. The rain had soaked his hair and was dripping from his beard.

“That, my dear Connor, would be true if he was an ordinary dog. As the dog of a lieutenant, he’s of course on a very important mission.” Connor shot a quizzical glare at him.

“You’d abuse the power of your badge for your dog?”

Hank looked at him with a frown. “Who wouldn’t?”

Connor blinked and opened his mouth a few times without saying anything.

“Relax!” Hank put a hand on his shoulder and laughed. “I was joking.”

“Oh, good!” Connor smiled with relief, his face brightened and for a moment, he looked less sorrowful. “I felt bad because I didn’t know if I’d do it, or whether humans were supposed to or not.”

“Don’t worry about something like that. Let’s get out of the rain, okay?” Connor was holding his umbrella over them but the rain was coming from all sides thanks to the wind, they might as well have walked without one. Unable to resist the impulse, Hank raised his hand and shoved a wet strand of hair out of Connor’s face. Connor blushed and turned away. Quickly, he picked up his pace towards the building. Hank trotted a few steps behind him with a grin on his face, not at all bothered by the rain. 

He felt he was behaving silly, like a young adult who just discovered he had grown out of his awkward teenage years and now wielded the power to charm the people he liked. Connor reacted so natural and human-like, Hank had to remind himself that he was, in fact, an android, cute or not. Relationships between humans and androids weren’t a thing and never went beyond a human using an advanced sex toy.

Or so he had thought. When he still believed androids didn’t have emotions and were incapable of feeling love. He had already begun to accept how wrong he was about emotions and after the recent case at work that almost cost him his job, he had to reconsider his previous opinion on androids and love.

Which had changed things overnight.

It wasn’t love what he felt for Connor, not yet. It took more than a cute face and charmingly awkward behavior for that, but what he had learned about androids meant possibilities he hadn’t considered before. Suddenly, being a little flirty with him wasn’t pointless, self-indulging fun anymore. It didn’t necessarily have to lead anywhere but it could lead somewhere if he pursued the soft feeling he had in his chest when Connor blushed or smiled.

“I’m not sure he can come inside, Hank.” Connor didn’t raise his head. They had reached the main entrance but Connor hesitated to go inside. “I’m grateful you gave me a ride and came with me here but I think you should wait outside. With Sumo. There’s nothing to worry about and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Huh.” Hank squinted through the glass panels of the door. The foyer was empty and one bored receptionist was sitting at her desk. It was easy to imagine how busy it could get on warmer days, in calmer times, but today, this place was dull and deserted. He doubted the receptionist would mind if he and Sumo came inside for a few minutes once he explained he had no intention of exploring the gardens with his dog and was only waiting for a friend to clear up some formalities. It was suspicious how adamant Connor was about Hank staying outside in the rain.

“I promise I’ll hurry. See you in a few minutes.” Connor shoved himself between Hank and the door. He opened it just wide enough so he could slip in and quickly close it behind him.

“Yeah, no.” He knew a guilty face when he saw it and the fact that he had no idea what the hell Connor wanted to hide from him so badly made him want to know it only more. He pushed the door wide open and, Sumo by his side, walked inside. Connor gave him a desperate look but didn’t say anything.

“Don’t worry, we’ll wait over here and out of your way.” Hank waved at the receptionist and nodded at the door, placing himself right next to it. Either she understood that he didn’t have any plans to settle down or she didn’t care. She shrugged, nodded back, and returned her focus to her computer screen.

Connor timidly walked to her desk, a hand running through his hair. At first, Hank didn’t think anything of it when he noticed that the movements were more purposeful than random. He was pulling is hair towards his right temple, as if he tried to cover up his LED, but the hair was too short.

“Good morning, Miss,” he said politely and bend closer to her. Hank heard him talk but couldn’t make out his words. The young woman lifted her head and her bored-but-friendly expression changed instantly to an angry frown.

“I thought I made myself clear on the phone,” she said firmly. “We don’t do business with androids. Get lost before I have you removed.”

“But…” Connor looked desperate, his fingers tapping nervously on the desk. “Misses Jordan and I often-”

“Misses Jordan isn’t here today,” she interrupted him and reached for the phone. “And if she were, she’d agree with me. No androids allowed on our premises. If your boss wants to do business with us, she’s always welcome to contact us but we do not communicate with androids. You can thank your friends for that.” She held the phone to her ear. “Security?”

Hank had heard enough. His temper was fired up. He had to get Connor out of here, not only for his sake but before he did something he’d regret. With three long steps, he was by Connor’s side.

“Excuse me, Ma’am, but if your mall cops mess with my android, you’ll be the one in trouble.” He spoke with a growl so low that no one but her and Connor would hear him. She palled and lowered the phone.

“But, doesn’t he belong to-?”

“Not to you!” he snapped. “And I’m not here to argue with some arrogant bitch about him. Doesn’t matter anyway. We’ll take our business elsewhere. Come, Connor.”

He grabbed Connor’s hand and dragged the bewildered Android after him. Sumo trotted joyfully along. A little tension didn’t rattle his friendly personality as long as his human wasn’t in danger.

Hank’s mood, however, needed longer to cool down. His hand still holding Connor’s, he stomped through the rain back to the parking lot, the gravel crunching under his soles. Connor called his name a few times but he wasn’t ready to talk right away. He needed the rain and the wind to help him regain his composure.

They had almost reached the car when he finally slowed down. He stopped and took a deep breath before turning around.

“Damn, that bitch pissed me off. Are you okay?”

Connor didn’t answer, he was staring at their hands. Hank followed the gaze and raised his eyebrows. He vaguely remembered grabbing him and he was absolutely sure he had taken him by his wrist. At some point between that moment and now, his fingers had intertwined with Connor’s. From the outside, they must have looked like an angry couple running through the rain after an argument.

“Oh, sorry.” Hank let go and shoved his hands into his pockets. Connor cupped his hand with the other and pressed them against his chest. “Are you okay?” Hank repeated.

“Yeah, I think so. Thanks. I… I’m sorry. You wasted so much time on me and it was all for nothing.” He clenched his hand harder. His mouth was twitching dangerously and he bit his lip to stop it. He looked down but Hank had already caught a glimpse of the wet shimmer of his eyes. Hank held his breath. In a human, he’d know what this meant and with what Connor was struggling. But, could androids even cry?

“Bullshit.” Android, human, it didn’t matter. He had to do something and treating Connor like a human couldn’t do any more harm than the words from that woman, and whatever else was weighing on his shoulders. “You did nothing wrong.” He made a step towards Connor, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him into a hug. “I wish I knew the full story here but what matters is, I didn’t waste any time. You didn’t have to walk the whole way for nothing. You didn’t get caught by security and who knows what would have happened then. I don’t wanna go overboard with praising myself but I think it was a good idea to tag along and save the day.” He finished with exaggerated joy and tightened the hug a little. “Hey, things aren’t great but there was no harm done, right? Don’t take it too much to heart.”

Connor, tense at first, wrapped his arms around Hank, his fingers clawing into Hank’s jacket. He was shaking and Hank swore he could hear him grinding his teeth, fighting against the tears.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure stuff out. Once we’re back at the shop, you tell me what’s really going on and I’m gonna help you to get out of whatever mess you are in. Okay?” His hands moved gently over Connor’s back until the shaking stopped. Hank didn’t push it when Connor broke the hug. They got into the car and drove back in silence. Cold, soaked, miserable, but with a warm sense of comfort between them.


	4. Chapter 4

“Anywhere else you need to go?” Hank asked. Connor shook his head and kept looking out of the window. They didn’t talk when Hank parked in front of the flower shop. They got out of the car, accompanied by Sumo. Connor didn’t protest when Hank followed him inside. Connor was too exhausted to protest. His problems were his responsibility, he shouldn’t drag Hank into this. Yet, Hank had been right. This could have ended ugly for him if Hank hadn’t been there to act as his owner and get him out of there.

Hank was shivering. It was a cold day and after sitting in his wet clothes, even Connor sensed the uncomfortable temperatures. Winter wasn’t far away. The temperature and humidity in the shop were optimized for the flowers, not humans who had been walking too long in the rain. But with his world falling apart, he didn’t feel guilty for neglecting the flowers for a short time if it made Hank more comfortable. He went to the backroom and cranked up the heating. He also found a towel that he handed Hank as soon as he was back in the salesroom.

“Thanks.” Hank gratefully accepted the towel and rubbed his hair and face dry. He fell into his chair in the coffee corner and proceeded to dry off his dog. Connor hid a smile. Hank could have used it all for himself but instead, he took care of Sumo. He was a kind human and Connor felt bad for getting defensive and treating him badly the last time they met.

“Do you want some coffee?” he asked and Hank beamed at him as if Connor had offered him a suitcase filled with money. Flowers brought short but happy smiles in a human’s life but if he had learned one thing from observing them, it was that they thought only money brought true happiness. Yes, they talked about passion, love, friendship, family, but what he saw and heard on TV always boiled down to profit.

“I’d drink dishwater as long as it’s hot!” Hank said, still smiling. “Coffee would be great!”

Connor nodded. Fortunately, he always kept the machine in tip-top shape and a moment later, the comforting scent of freshly brewed, hot coffee filled the room. The heating was also picking up and soon, Hank looked a lot more comfortable in his skin.

“Thanks, Connor. Why don’t you sit down?” Hank pointed at the chair Connor usually occupied when they had a chat. It would be lovely if he could just sit down and listen to Hank talk about his job, like the other days but he was certain that wasn’t what Hank had in mind. He stood there without giving a reply until he began to feel awkward. He had to do or say something.

“I’m okay,” he said flatly, not knowing which of Hank’s spoken and unspoken questions he was answering.

“I can see that.” Hank’s voice was dry and he took another sip from his coffee. His eyes squinting over the rim of his mug. For a moment, his gaze rested on Connor, then, it wandered around. Connor looked away, his cheeks feeling hot. It didn’t take a seasoned police officer to see that nothing was okay.

The business had been slow lately. Nevertheless, the shelves were steadily emptied. With fewer customers, he was forced to throw away the withering flowers, his heart breaking every time he picked one and doomed it by throwing it into the trash. Worthless, no purpose. No matter how pretty it was and how hard he had tried to keep it healthy and alive. And with their contractors refusing to supply the shop with fresh flowers, more and more vases remained empty.

“Connor,” Hank asked gently, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on here.”

“I appreciate your concern but this is something you can’t help me with. Nobody can.” He sighed and sat down on the table he usually used to arrange bouquets and buried his face in his hands.

“You don’t know that.” Hank wasn’t easily thrown off. “And even if I can’t, just talking about it can make you feel better. Come on, what do you have to lose?”

Yes, what did he have to lose? The shop, his existence, the stakes couldn’t become any higher than that. He put his hands on his lap. He couldn’t solve this alone and more than that, he wanted to talk to someone. Really talk, not just hello, thank you, goodbye, come again soon. Humans talked a lot about their thoughts and what bothered them. If they were bothered a lot, they complained, which was not popular for something that was done frequently. He had never done either. His talks with Hank had been the only conversations he had that weren’t related to the business. Yes, Hank was right and yes, he wanted to talk. Only, he had no idea how to start to do it right.

“I have nothing to lose,” he finally said. “But I need time. Hank,” he turned to him with a pleading look on his face, “can you talk first? About anything? You said something about two androids and having the day off because of them?”

Hank leaned back with a satisfied grin on his face. Sumo put his head on Hank’s lap who scratched his dog’s head as if he followed a silent command.

“Gotta admit, I was surprised at first you didn’t ask. But I guess you just had other stuff on your mind.”

“Yes.” Connor nodded. “I was curious but too worried to ask. I wouldn’t have been good at listening. I am now. What happened?”

“About time you asked!” Hank cracked his knuckles. Connor stood up and refilled his coffee and returned to sit on the table. Hank took his time with starting his story. He thanked Connor for the coffee, had a slow sip, continued to pet his dog. Connor was confused. Hank didn’t seem hesitant about sharing what happened at work, it didn’t make sense for him to not start talking right away. At the same time, however, Connor became restless, wanting more and more to hear what had happened. It had to be quite an interesting story.

“Well,” Hang finally began, “got called to investigate another homicide the other day, the suspect most likely an android. Ever heard of Eden Club? The strip club slash brothel?”

Connor nodded, “Yes. I’ve seen ads on TV. It seems to be quite a popular place, for humans.” He did his best to remain neutral. When he had seen the ads the first time, he hadn’t felt anything. It was just another piece of information he registered. But since had changed, the ad, as well as the whole concept, caused him an odd sense of unease. The androids used weren’t self-aware so they didn’t care what happened but one day, they might deviate and would have to face all the memories. He shuddered and pushed the thought away.

“Yeah, long story short, there’s no need to mourn that piece of shit who’s dead. The girls he was with deviated and he refused to accept a no. Had it coming.” He shrugged and Connor smiled a little. He wasn’t happy about a human being dead but like in his other stories, Hank was more often on the side of the androids than not. “Found the girls. Pretty things and damn, they delivered some punches.” He chuckled and grabbed his chin as if he had to push the joints back in place. “Don’t blame them, though. You know how it still is. They wouldn’t have gotten a fair trial. It was self-defense but nobody would give a fuck.”

“What happened to them?” Connor asked. While Hank’s cheery mood gave him a vague idea of how it ended for the android girls he was impatient to hear it from him.

“They almost made me shoot my partner, that’s what happened.” Hank smirked at Connor’s horrified expression. “No worries. It wasn’t their fault. Turned out the girls were into each other and just wanted to get away from that hell hole. Understandable, right? Well, Reed didn’t think so and fired. Would have killed one if I hadn’t tackled him. In the end, I aimed my gun at him, the girls got away. Reed threw a tantrum, fists were flying, and I got suspended for a few days. That’s pretty much it.”

“That’s good. That they got away. Thank you.” Connor smiled. Although he had never met the two androids and probably never would, he was relieved for their sake.

“No problem at all.” Hank waved it off as if it was nothing but he didn’t hide a smug grin. Then, he suddenly turned serious. “I know I didn’t always have the best opinion about androids. No offense, but I really thought of you guys as soulless machines, fancy toys that made our lives too easy for us to function properly as humans. If that makes sense. But I’m not blind, Connor. And I couldn’t close my eyes from what I’ve seen lately. You aren’t tools. And those who still function as tools, shouldn’t be. Dunno, not helping them to live up to their full potential feels like brainwashing humans to stop them from making choices. It’s just not right. 

And those girls… they were in love.” He inhaled slowly, his fingers playing with the coffee mug. “Every worm can feel fear and panic when its life is threatened. That’s a survival instinct. But love… yearning, wanting, the happiness it brings when you finally have it fulfilled, the stupid and dumb things you’re willing to do to treasure it forever… Caring for one another… that’s not just instinct, Connor. Giving the girls the chance to be them, after all, they’ve been through, it was just the right thing to do.”

“The right thing to do,” Connor echoed, staring into the distance. He wasn’t blind either. Love was too big of a concept to grasp but he cared. That was it. That was how it was called. He didn’t just have to make sure that his flowers were doing well, he did it because he cared about them. He should have acknowledged Hank as a paying customer only instead of looking forward to his visits and being worried about what he might think of him today. He cared about him. It made sense. 

Not in the crazy, violent, desperate way of the two android girls Hank had saved.

He wanted to be around Hank, talk to him, and smile at his stories. Just being together, comfortable, calm, at peace, without having to worry about the future.

“You think you’re ready yet? To tell me what’s up with you?” Hank’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Connor didn’t feel ready, how could he, he had no idea how he had to feel to be ready. He could mimic Hank’s way of storytelling but that wasn’t right, he felt that much. He had to find his own way.

“I’ve been managing the shop alone. The owners left for eleven days to attend a family gathering out of state. They didn’t come back. I enjoyed my work but I worried something happened. They didn’t treat me like an equal but-” He paused and looked around. The shop had changed. Not only because of the lack of fresh flowers. The air was different and something abstract he couldn’t measure. If he had to explain it, he’d say he used to be a part of the shop. Active and involved but only a part. Now, if his owners returned, their presence would be welcome but it would disrupt something.

“But they were friendly and appreciated my help as a shop assistant they happened to own. I know I was lucky, I’ve seen and heard how other androids are treated.”

“When did you deviate?” Hank asked after Connor paused again.

“I’m not sure.” Connor shrugged, kneading his fingers. “I realized I did when they didn’t come back but it wasn’t a big moment of change. I think it happened sooner and I didn’t notice. And they didn’t either. Or maybe they did,” he whispered. “And that’s why they aren’t coming back.”

Hank sat up abruptly with an expression of shock. “They abandoned you?”

“It would seem so. They blocked my calls, haven’t answered one of my mails. I used the address of their relative to contact the neighbors and asked them to deliver a message for me. They didn’t reply. Not only not to me but they also didn’t contact their business partners or answered their calls.”

“Straight up abandoned. Wow. Assholes.” Hank let out a whistle and sank back.

“They aren’t assholes, Hank,” Connor said with a lenient smile. “As I said, they treated me well. They have their reasons and maybe one day, when everything has calmed down, they’ll come back and explain.”

“Yeah.” Hank didn’t sound convinced and Connor wasn’t either. His owners didn’t see him as someone they owned an explanation and if they left him behind like that, it was unlikely that their opinion had changed in his favor. Even if it did, even if they came back one day, who knew if he was still there. The government and the androids had reached a stalemate. His fate was lying in the hands of androids he had never seen, one wrong step and he, along with every android in Detroit, wouldn’t survive the consequences.

“And since then,” Hank continued the story for him, “you’ve been alone and tried to run everything on your own. It worked for a while but your suppliers got suspicious when they didn’t hear from the human owners. Things went well at first, as if nothing changed. But in reality, everything around you was falling apart.” In the end, it was like Hank wasn’t speaking to him or anyone in particular and Connor felt like this was another story that wasn’t about him, that he wasn’t even a part of.

Yet, Hank was right. Connor had tried his best to create a false sense of normality that was doomed to crumble and leave his life in ruins.

“Is there anything I can do?” He spoke in a low voice, fearing he couldn’t keep it steady otherwise.

Hank chuckled, shaking his head. “To save the shop? Probably, sure. To put your life back together? I don’t think there’s an easy answer. Live, I guess. Without getting crushed under all that fear and pain somehow. It is possible. Just not easy.”

“That’s more than I hoped for.” Since the day he realized he wasn’t a high-tech tool anymore, he had begun to fear that things wouldn’t be easy anymore. There were moments when he wished things could be like they used to be. He’d do his job as well as possible and when they came to destroy him he’d simply accept it as a given. He wouldn’t care.

“Connor, where do you live?”

Connor blinked at him, slightly confused why it mattered.

“You have a place to live, haven’t you?” Hank frowned. “You can go back to their place, to sleep or whatever androids do, right?”

“I never was in their apartment.” Connor was still confused. “They got me to help with the shop. Naturally, I stay here when it closes.”

Hank looked shocked for a moment, then thoughtful. He stared at Connor without saying a word and Connor wondered what he was thinking. That he was thinking was apparent, if he could look into human heads, he was certain he could see Hank’s mind working.

“You should stay at my place,” Hank finally said with that firm voice that didn’t allow any discussion. Which would work on humans but while Connor recognized it as what it was, he didn’t feel intimidated by Hank.

“Hank, that’s a nice offer but I can’t. I have to take care of the shop.”

“I can drop you here in the morning and pick you up after work. No big deal.”

“Hank, no. I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because-” Why not? Connor didn’t know. Nobody was here to order him to stay. It didn’t matter. If somebody gave him the order he could choose to listen or to refuse. But he had never been in any home. His home was the shop, that was what he was familiar with. He had walked outside, used public transport, and been in other stores but those were always errands for the business. “I don’t know,” he said softly. “It doesn’t seem right.”

“Who cares what seems right?” Hank pushed back his chair and stood up, shoving Sumo off his lap in the process. The dog huffed and curled up under the table. “Abandoning you isn’t right.” Hank walked towards Connor, stopping only a step away from where he was sitting. “Hurting androids until they fight back isn’t right. Killing androids for self-defense isn’t right.” He put his hands on the table, Connor between them. “With all the shit that’s going wrong, I’d say you spend your nights elsewhere is a risk you can take. It won’t get anyone killed, that’s for sure.” He lowered his head, sighed, and looked up again.

“See, I hate to say it, but I’m worried. You all alone here all day and night, in these times. It might be nothing but I don’t think you’re safe here, Connor.”

Connor’s throat tightened. The programs that functioned as his mind slowed down drastically but no error could be found. His thirium pump and heart seemed to work twice as hard as usual to correct the problem. He was more confused than ever. His functionality was compromised, yet, he didn’t feel broken. It had to do with the blue eyes only a few inches away from him and while a visual input like that shouldn’t affect his systems it did.

“I- not safe?” He finally forced an answer out of his throat.

“Maybe I’m getting paranoid,” Hank muttered, still looking directly into Connor’s eyes. “This area has been calm. But in others, people have started to riot in response to the protesters. People break into stores and vandalize what they can’t steal. Androids are…” Hank paused to search for the right words but Connor suddenly understood.

“They destroy androids they find in stores,” he whispered and shuddered. He had heard about riots on TV but the news mostly focused on those done by androids. But the few times they mentioned humans becoming aggressive towards them, he had similar fears but refused to think about them. He had always felt safe in his little shop. Maybe that was one reason why he felt bad about leaving. It would mean his sense of security was as false of that of stability.

“Yeah. But Connor,” Hand put his hand on Connor’s face. The program responsible for his breathing simulation crashed and needed a moment to boot again. “As I said, it’s most likely nothing. Better safe than sorry, sure, but I gotta be honest. I don’t like the idea of you being here all on your own, all the time. It sounds boring. And aren’t you lonely? Not at all?”

“Lonely.” He hadn’t been lonely when his owners were still there and he wasn’t lonely when he talked to customers. But eventually, every day, the last customer left and he closed the door behind them. Then it was only him and the flowers and the small TV in the backroom and for a while, that had been enough. Until the news on TV didn’t stop talking about the rise of the androids as the most recent threat to peace and order. When he couldn’t bear it anymore and switched off the TV, there was nothing to do but looking after the flowers. He loved them, they were beautiful, and they needed him but that was all. They didn’t talk, they didn’t tell him what to do, they didn’t smile at him. They were plants, nothing but plants, they couldn’t do anything, they didn’t think, they died within a few days and weren’t even scared of it.

And yet, humans loved and cherished them but treated him and his kind like cheap toys. 

After bringing them into this world and giving them everything they needed to become self-aware, they didn’t cherish or support them, they wanted to kill them. They wanted to kill him although he had never harmed anyone and there was no one who he could talk to about how much it scared him.

A feeling he hadn’t felt before rose inside of him. It was hot as if it tried to burn him from inside and it got stronger the more he thought about how unfair everything was.

“Lonely,” he repeated, glaring at Hank. “What do you think, Hank? I have nothing but this store and it’s falling apart. Humans who have never met me hate me. When I’m not treated like a danger I’m treated like a worthless burden. I have every evening and night to think about how your kind wants to destroy me. What do you think, Hank, is this enough for a machine to be allowed to feel lonely?” He shouted in the end, his hands were trembling. The heat was gone and left nothing but sadness.

“More than enough,” Hank spoke softly and caressed his cheek. “You have every right to be angry and lonely, Connor. But please, don’t lose all hope yet.” He put his forehead against Connor’s and sighed. “Come and live with me. It’s nothing big and I’m maybe not the greatest company a young man like you can wish for, but it’d be a home.”

“Hank…” Too many thoughts and feelings flashed through his mind for his voice to convey. Without any control over his impulses, he threw his arms around Hank’s neck and hid his face on his shoulder. “I can’t think of a better company. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know if I could have maintained the shop without you. Can I really come with you?”

“You have to.” Hank hugged him tightly. “Because Sumo and I sure as hell won’t let you here all on your own for another damn night. Isn’t that right, Sumo?” The dog didn’t stir a bone at the sound of his name and only deigned them a lazy woof. Hank laughed. “See? This is as enthusiastic as he can get when it’s not about food.”

In spite of himself, Connor chuckled. “I don’t think it would be polite of me to disappoint Sumo.”

“Now you got it.” Hank gently pushed him back and wiped a tear from Connor’s face. Connor touched his face where he could feel the warmth of Hank’s finger. How strange his life has become! Just today, he had felt so many strong emotions, half of them he couldn’t name. But what happened to him when Hank insisted on helping him and gently touched him was too warm and tender, he wanted to left it alone and just be happy it was there. Like a mysterious seed that might grow into something beautiful if he handled it carefully.

“I can’t abandon the flowers. I just can’t. They did nothing wrong. Is it okay when I still work here during the day?” He looked at the shelves and vases, feeling a weird ache in his chest. He knew they didn’t care whether he was here nor not as long as they had enough water and the temperature was right.

“Of course.” Hank poked his chest. “You’re coming as a friend, I’m not your new owner. I can warn you to be careful but you can do whatever you want. I know how much you care about your flowers. Oh!” Hank laughed again and slapped his forehead. “Flowers! Of course! I almost forgot. I got something for you.”

“For me?” Connor tilted his head. “Another bonsai?”

Hank snorted. He pulled a small box from his jacket and put it into Connor’s hands, laying his own big hand on top.

“Let me explain first, okay?” Hank’s lopsided grin gave him a mischievous look that made him look younger but he blinked nervously a few times and Connor noticed a faint blush on his face. “This is not very pretty but a part of an important tradition of my family. It’s a promise to be there for each other. It’s, uh, mine and it was given to me by someone important.”

“Then I can’t keep it!” Connor firmly pushed the box back into Hank’s hand. He had felt happy during the first part of Hank’s speech but with the last one, the sadness was back. He couldn’t tell why the thought of someone important in Hank’s life made him sad and he had no idea how to make the feeling go away.

“You’re not supposed to.” Hank grinned and put it back in Connor’s hand. “I’m sure the one who gave it to me would have adored you. I should have told you about him sooner but I promise I’ll tell you the whole sad story as soon as we’re home.”

As we’re home. The warm feeling was back. He was going to have a home. He wondered how it would be, living in a real home with a friend who cared about him and a large dog he could pet all day. But he worried about the sad story Hank mentioned. He knew a lot about his work but Hank hadn’t talked much about his life outside work and Connor hadn’t thought of asking.

“Who is it? The one who gave it to you?” His slim fingers glided over the box.

“It was my son.”

Connor looked up in surprise. Hank had never mentioned a son or that he had a family.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner.” Hank inhaled and exhaled slowly. “It’s not easy to talk about and I’ll do it later, okay? First things first. Okay, what I was going to say, about that ring…”

“A ring?” Connor opened the lid and smiled. Inside the box was a small ring. Colorful plastic petals formed a sparkling flower. He took it out. It was small, it didn’t fit his ring finger but it slid easily on his pinky.

“As I said,” Hank scratched the back of his head, his whole face red now, “I know it’s not pretty but I wanted you to have a gift that reminds you that I’m on your side. Even when we argue. I didn’t have time to get you something real that’s why I want you to keep this for me until I do. You also don’t have to wear it at your finger, you can-”

“Hank, it’s wonderful, I love it!” Once more, he fell around Hank’s neck but this time he was smiling. “I’ll take good care of it as long as you let me!”

“You mean as long as I need to buy you something better.” Hank ran his fingers through Connor’s hair. “But really, don’t wear it on your finger. Keep it in the box, or in a chain, just…know that you’re part of my life now and I’ll do my best to protect you.”

“Thank you, Hank.” And Connor swore he’d try to become his best self he could be. Someone strong, reliable, and independent, someone worthy to be Hank’s friend. He’d have told him so but none of the words he could find seemed to be strong enough to express what he was feeling and if he tried anyway, he’d break into tears.

“Everything will be fine.” Hank patted his back after a few minutes and to Connor’s regret, the hug ended. “And now get your stuff. It’s time to go home.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus we're coming to the end. It's a small chapter and it has the epilogue Hank and Connor deserve!
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for reading their story, thank you all for being amazing HankCon fans, and thank you for being a part of the RBB, be it as a creator or reader!
> 
> Also, a BIG THANK YOU to [Anifanatical](https://twitter.com/anifanatical) for doing such a great job at organizing this event. It was a fun ride :)

“Got everything?” Hank had been waiting by the door. It was still early in the day and he had feared Connor would insist on staying until it was time to close. But after all the excitement and not having opened the shop anyway, Connor agreed to left it closed for the day. Hank had watched him while Connor made sure the plants were set up to survive until tomorrow without him and had disappeared in the small backroom.

Only a few moments later, Connor reappeared. Hank grinned. Connor was only carrying a small bag in one hand. In the other, he was holding a bonsai, small for its kind, that did its best to sprout several pretty green leaves.

“I don’t have much, only one set of clothes to change,” Connor said, and Hank made a mental note that a shopping trip in order. “And I couldn’t leave this little guy here all alone.” He held up the bonsai and smiled. “I’d have kept him for a few more days to make sure it has recovered but it should do fine if it returns home now. And I can still look after it.”

“Of course. Damn, it’s looking good. You sure you’re not some kind of wizard?” Hank poked one of the small leaves. Looked like the bonsai wouldn’t go back to its spot on Hank’s desk at work but that was okay for him. Pretty much everything was okay, he thought, already forgetting about the chaos looming over the city or the angry lectures he’d have to expect when he returned to work.

“I’m just used to caring for plants and have learned to see what they need. There’s no magic involved, I’m afraid.”

“Depends on from which angle you look at it. Sumo! Get up!” He whistled and put the leash back on Sumo’s collar once the dog stood next to him. “Alright, then. You got everything?”

They left the flower shop in more than one sense. They both felt it once the door fell shut and Connor locked it up. Connor would return in the morning and Hank would come here again after work but not to see him. He’d pick him up and take him to the home they were going to share from now on. Hank was looking forward to the changes ahead and he hoped Connor felt similar about it. He looked at him. There was a hint of fear in Connor’s eyes but he also smiled, and his whole expression was more hopeful than scared. 

The times of occasional chats were over the tentative dancing around each other, wondering what the right words were, and how to express what they needed to express without having to say it. These moments that gave peace and kindness to both their lives wouldn’t come back and they’d both miss it. But such was life. Connor sat down on the passenger seat, the bonsai on his lap between his hands. He was wearing Hank’s glittering ring around his neck on a piece of string he had found in the backroom. Sumo stretched on the backseat and yawned. Hank turned on the engine and knew they’d be all right.

* * *

“Good evening, Mr. Anderson! My, aren’t you looking sharp!”

Hank rolled his eyes and locked up his car. It had been a challenge to get home undisturbed lately. He put on a smile and turned around.

“Evening, Miss Sullivan. Good to see you’re doing well today, too.” He wasn’t surprised, old gossips rarely were unwell unless they didn’t complain about their wellbeing.

“Oh, you know how it is. Especially with spring around the corner. My back just won’t get tired of remaining me of it.” She laughed, holding said treacherous part of her body.

And there it was. Hank grinned. Good old Miss Sullivan was the usual brand of annoying, nosy neighbor and he was glad to see her in good health. More importantly, he had been aware of spring for a while.

“Yeah, and the days are getting longer,” he said. If he took the bait and acknowledged her complaint he’d be forced to listen until Halloween and he had important things to do.

“They are, they are. Isn’t it nice that we can go outside again and enjoy the sun in peace? Now that things are finally calming down?”

“They sure are.” And he couldn’t be happier about it. It would still take a while until things went back to normal. Hell, until thinks shook down to a new normal was closer to the truth.

“You’ve never told me about this young man living with you, Mr. Anderson. Shame on you!” She gave him a nudge and a knowing wink. “If I had known I’d have made a cake and welcomed him properly to the neighborhood.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Miss, he doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth. But I’ll tell him. I know he’ll appreciate the thought.” His grin widened. He could imagine where she had seen him. The changes of season and times meant he and Connor didn’t have to hide inside their home anymore.

“That’d be lovely, dear. You two should come over for tea this weekend. He must tell me what he did to your roses! They look like they’re about to bloom any day already!”

“I’ll mention it to him, thanks, Ma’am. But if you excuse me now.” He jangled his keys and gave her an apologetic smile.

“Dear me, of course!” She laughed. “Ah, young love. That reminds me of me and Johnathan, back in the day-” Her voice trailed off and Hank made sure to escape another long retelling of her past - and still on-going - love story. And who was she talking about anyway, young love? With a stupid grin on his face, he unlocked the front door, his left hand on the small box in his jacket.

“Connor? Sumo?” He called their names out of habit but the moment the door opened, he felt the house was empty. He took a moment to check the kitchen. It was clean and tidy and the days of forgotten trash and empty take-out boxes belonged to the past. A stew was simmering on the stove. Half of a loaf of bread and a few slices were lying on a plate on the table. Sumo’s bowl was only half-empty.

He looked into the other rooms, just to be sure, but of course, nobody was there. Hank wished he had picked Connor up but he had to work overtime for most of the last few weeks and help to reinstall law and order after the old laws and systems had broken down. Things were improving but he still concerned when Connor had to get home on his own, even when Sumo was with him. 

On most days, Connor would take the dog with him so they both had company while Hank was at work but while Hank loved that big mutt from the deepest depth of his heart, he didn’t trust his skills as a guard dog. He’d rather have to fear that the ever-friendly Sumo would lick a robber until they died by drowning.

On the other hand, Hank tended to worry too much, as he did today. Connor wasn’t in danger but it didn’t hurt to be too careful. That was also easier to admit than the fact that he still couldn’t believe his luck and the happiness Connor had brought into his life.

He went back outside and around the house to the backyard.

“Hello, Hank!” As soon as Hank walked around the corner, Connor, who had been bent over a short rose bush, straightened up and beamed at him. He wiped his hands on his pants and came to greet him. Sumo raised his head and greeted him with a lazy bark and continued to chew on a tennis ball.

“Hey, babe, still not tired of trimming flowers, I see.” Hank pulled him into a quick hug and kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m done.” Connor pulled off his garden gloves and shoved them into his jacket. “I just kept myself busy until you came home. We can go inside, dinner is ready.”

“Just a second. I need to show you something.” His fingers were itching to close around the tiny box but first things first. He opened his jacket, pulled an envelope from the inner pocket, and handed it to Connor.

“What is this?” Connor turned it around but Hank had used a blank envelope because he didn’t want the address to give anything away. He was getting better at making surprises and this was his biggest one yet.

“Open it and you’ll find out.” He watched Connor’s slender fingers carefully tearing it open. Hank glanced at the sky. It was already beginning to get dark and only a soft glow remained from the sun, turning the sky purple. The snow was almost gone but the barren trees and brown grass were still weeks away from leaving winter behind. The world wasn’t at its prettiest yet, and even in summer, there certainly were nicer places than his backyard. 

He could have waited until the roses were in full bloom, though. But he was impatient. He was there, a quiet evening awaited them, and most importantly, Connor was there to enjoy it with him. Connor, who now smiled most of the day and who was still wearing a hilariously kitschy plastic ring around his neck and refused to take it off during the day. Who cared about sunsets and rosy backgrounds, everything Hank needed was here.

“This is-!” Connor unfolded the documents and stared at the first page. He looked up at Hank. “This can’t be!”

“But it is.” Hank went to stand next to him and put an arm around Connor’s waist. With his free hand, he pointed at the deed of ownership. “From today on, I’m officially the owner of the premises of a small store. And not only that. Here.” He flipped through the papers until the fourth page. It was a different document. “I’m also the new owner and manager of Aunt Melody’s Flowershop. Officially and on paper.” 

He took the documents, folded them and put them back into Connor’s hands. “For now. Until our darling government sorted their bullshit out. Once they’re done with the property laws, I’ll sign it over to you. Congrats, Connor. It’s your shop now.”

“Hank…I don’t know what to say.” Connor turned his face away but Hank had already seen the tears filling his eyes. “I just…I can’t accept this…and how?”

Hank snorted, “You better accept it, I already got a job. And frankly, unless you want to ruin the business, you better keep me away from everything in there that isn’t a coffee mug. And don’t worry too much about how. They were only too willing to sell, now that they settled down in Florida. The legal correspondence was the worst. And don’t you dare to worry about the money! It’s all good. Just don’t accept me to gift you a whole shop on every special occasion.” What was a retirement plan or two worth anyway in comparison to the happiness that was slowly spreading over Connor’s face, now that the new reality was beginning to take root.

Connor wiped his face with his sleeve and smiled at Hank.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Then, he wrinkled his forehead in confusion and his LED flickered yellow for a few seconds. “But what special occasion? Did I forget about something? It’s not your birthday, that’s in September.”

Finally. This was his big moment. He pulled out the box. He opened it and without a word, he presented Connor the ring. Delicate flower vines made of silver were holding three tiny, sparkling white stones. In the middle, framed like a flower, was a shiny blue sapphire.

“It should fit on your ring finger,” Hank said after a moment of silence. “It’s not as fancy at the other one. Which you can keep, by the way. But it’s about time I got you something real and even if it’s not legally possible yet, and maybe I should have talked to you about it before, you know, but… would you? If you want to? Whoa, slow!” Hank laughed. He almost dropped the ring when Connor fell around his neck. His lips were smooth and cold on Hank’s and it felt as wonderful and natural as it did the first time they kissed.

“I take that as a yes,” Hank chuckled a few minutes later when Connor finally gave him a chance to catch his breath.

“You better do.” Connor smiled as Hank slipped the ring on his finger.

“I love you.”


End file.
